Dear Reader,

Let’s talk about rituals.

Yesterday, I went to the Buddhist Centre, where the teacher spoke about how rituals shape our lives. We all have them. Some rituals serve us, and others don’t.

For example, many of us reach for our phones the moment we wake up. That, too, is a ritual. But what if we began the day differently, spending even an hour without letting the world in? Choosing instead to breathe, read, go on a walk, stretch, or simply be. That, too, is a ritual: one that nourishes rather than depletes.

Today, I went for a walk in the cemetery near my home. Some people find cemeteries eerie, but I find them deeply calming. They remind me that everything is impermanent. And strangely, that awareness makes life feel more alive.

When we remember that everything passes, every season, every feeling, every chapter, it helps us meet life with a fuller heart.

Even in hard times, the reminder that this too shall pass brings comfort.

Rituals are such a beautiful way to navigate the ebbs and flows of life. Yesterday, the teacher said something that stayed with me:

“Rituals are the way to get back to what matters.”

They are the bridges that reconnect us with our values, almost like anchors that guide us back to presence when we drift too far into doing.

This week marks one month since I went on sick leave: a month of slowing everything down to the bare minimum, giving myself permission to simply pause.

Today, I pulled an affirmation card that said:

I still need this reminder but gradually day by day I am learning to allow slow living and rest to be my new normal. My body, heart, mind and soul needs it.

After 11 years of being conditioned to hustle, achieve, and do more, I’m finally beginning to understand what it means to allow slowness and stillness—without guilt, without pressure, without the need to prove anything.

Because slowing down isn’t giving up.
It’s a ritual of returning.
To what matters.
To the present.
To ourselves.

Here are a few rituals that are really serving me right now:

1. Cold showers each morning: the shock of it awakens me and reminds me that my body works its fight and flight but even when the cold water shocks me, I can find my breath and ease.

2. Daily meditation: even a few minutes of mindful breathing changes how I meet the day. Metta Bhavana - Loving Kindness meditation is my favourite at the moment to practice self-love and send loving kindness to the world.

3. Daily Oracle card readings: they’re my way to connect my guides and hear from them what I need to know on that particular day. It gives me peace and ease.

4. Walks in nature: my favourite reminder that I belong to something larger, and that everything has its rhythm.

   There is a reason we say forest = for rest

5. Monthly Circle Gatherings - meeting and gathering with people in circle settings monthly is a way for us to heal collectively and be seen and heard as we are. When we gather in a circle something magical happens every time.

   I am co-hosting a Cyclical Gathering next Wednesday the 29th at 6pm with my dear friend Martyna in Walthamstow, if you’d like to join us.

   It will be a wholesome evening of transitioning together from autumn to winter. For tickets and more information, click here.

So, here’s my questions for you this week:

What rituals are serving you right now to return to what matters to you the most?
Which ones might be asking to be released?

Reply to this email and let me know. I love to hear from you.

With heart,
Essi x